Liverpool’s struggles under new head coach Arne Slot deepened on Sunday, as a 3–0 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium exposed fresh cracks in the team’s form and confidence.
The result, their fifth league loss of the campaign, leaves the Reds adrift in eighth place and already eight points off Premier League leaders Arsenal.
City in cruise control
Pep Guardiola’s side barely had to shift gears. Goals from Erling Haaland, Nico González and the outstanding Jeremy Doku sealed a routine victory for the champions.
Haaland even squandered a penalty, but City’s dominance was never in doubt as they tightened their grip on second place behind Arsenal.
Read also: UFC cop beats former inmate in 57 seconds and then defends him
For Liverpool, the numbers make grim reading, seven defeats in their past ten games across all competitions. What looked like a rocky patch has now become a pattern.
Keane: ‘It’s a crisis for Liverpool’
Speaking on Sky Sports, Roy Keane didn’t hold back.
“It’s okay to lose to a club like Man City, it’s a tough place to come,” he said. “But to lose seven in ten, five league losses already, it has to be a crisis for a club like Liverpool.”
The former Manchester United captain accused the team of looking “weak” and questioned Slot’s upbeat comments about the second-half display.
“The manager said he was pleased with the second half, but the game was over,” Keane added. “It’s easy to play well when there’s nothing at stake. City were stronger, sharper, more physical. Liverpool looked flat, and that’s worrying.”
Keane concluded that the lack of fight and intensity summed up the mood at Anfield.
Read also: Bayern line up Erling Haaland move as Harry Kane plan emerges
“The subs came on and made no impact. There was no spark. I think it’s crisis time for Liverpool.”
Neville: ‘They looked there to be beaten’
Gary Neville shared a similar view in his commentary for Sky Sports.
“Liverpool have played without confidence,” he observed. “They look leggy and sluggish. Sometimes you can just tell when a team is there to be beaten.”
After González’s deflected goal off Virgil van Dijk made it 2–0, Neville was left stunned.
“Van Dijk just lets it hit him. Really strange. They’ve lost every battle, that’s the most worrying part.”
On The Gary Neville Podcast later that evening, he was even more scathing:
“It was one of the worst Liverpool performances I’ve seen in years. They looked lost, like they didn’t know what to do. These players have set incredibly high standards, but they’re miles off right now.”
Slot: ‘We need results before title talk’
After the match, Arne Slot struck a measured tone, admitting his side have no business thinking about the title race until they rediscover consistency.
Read also: Gary Lineker played 654 competitive games and was never shown a single card
“Five defeats already feels too many,” he said. “The last thing I should speak about is the title race. We need to focus on getting results first.”
Slot, who succeeded Jürgen Klopp earlier this year, acknowledged that the team’s eighth-place position is a reality check.
“We’re clearly behind where we want to be,” he admitted. “Our job is to improve and to do it quickly.”
A crucial few weeks ahead
Liverpool’s upcoming fixtures could prove decisive. Slot’s men face a run of games that will test their resolve and reveal whether this slump is temporary, or something deeper.
As Keane warned, the situation already feels perilously close to a full-blown crisis.
Sources: Sky Sports, The Gary Neville Podcast
Read also: Maguire breaks silence after Man City ruling with explosive £900m verdict
Read also: Rui Pinto turns fire on Infantino after Manchester City verdict
